Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Where? Senegal - a country south of the Senegal River in western Africa (borders Atlantic Ocean, Mauritania, Mali, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau) Dakar is the capital city located on the Atlantic coast. The official language is French.Who? the government of Senegal and the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC)Why? Independence for the Casamance region
Their independence was based on a promise by Senegal's first president, Leopold Senghor before independence from France in 196os, that if they joined Senegal for 20years they would have their own independence afterwards. The government did not keep the promise and demonstrations began. Violence erupted in the streets.

The Jola peoplelargely inhabit the Casamance region. After organized peaceful demonstrations by the MFDC, their leaders were arrested. The Guinea-Bissauan Army began to covertly support reprisals made by the MFDC which started a conflict between Guinea and the government of Senegal. Several peace treaties have been violated since the 1990s and low-level fighting continues in the region. Thousands of civilians have fled to Gambia across the border.

The Thirty Days Thirty Reasons Series:There are more than thirty ongoing violent conflicts waging right now around the globe. The United Nations defines Major Wars as military conflict inflicting 1,000 battlefield deaths per year. Wikipedia expands that definition to include wars that cause destruction and humanitarian crisis of outstanding severity." Ongoing civil wars fueled by racial, ethnic, or religious differences come with a new twist that distinguishes them from wars in previous generations - civilian casualties. During World War I non-combatants made up less than 5% of casualties. Today, the number is a staggering 75% civilians killed or wounded. In less than thirty days from now we will engage in another BlogBlast For Peace.By my research and estimation, there are at LEAST 30 very good reasons to fly a peace globe. To begin your activism. To increase our awareness of the suffering of others. To talk about peace. To write about peace. To be part of a larger voice for peace. To invoke peace. To pray for peace. To focus on peace.To wage peace.